The Baltic fashion sector is mainly composed of SMEs, with a large share of females not only in services and administration but also in production (80% in new member states). Despite dramatic changes within the last decade resulting in a loss of a third of their volume and jobs, textile, clothing and leather industries still highly contribute to employment, especially in the eastern Baltic Sea Region (BSR), where the sector counts for approximately 6% of the workforce.

However, as evidenced by a comprehensive analysis of the sector by DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (May 2009), there is potential to counter this trend by focusing on INNOVATION, to facilitate a shift from non-European mass-production towards new forms of regional production, and TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION, to turn differences among BSR countries into business advantages.

There is currently, however, no structure in the BSR offering the targeted, transnational support necessary for fashion SMEs to turn their innovative ideas into economic success. The Baltic Fashion project is intended to fill this gap. It links into the EU BSR strategy priority 8, which calls for actions to strengthen SMEs, especially in the creative sector, and to promote female entrepreneurship. The city of Gdynia is a partner in the project and organizer of the Gdynia Design Days (“cooperative action” under priority 8). In addition to its contribution to (female and non-metropole) employment, the project will also contribute to bridging the East-West divide.